Davelyshome

Directly above the living room and kitchen, at the rear of 53 Victoria Road, Thornton, was David Jones’s bedroom. On his bedroom door he had taped a hastily- and untidily-crayoned notice, saying,

Davelyshome53A Victoria Road

The name Davelyshome was a contraction of his own name David, plus the name of his teddy bear Curly, Curly Bear-Jones: “David-and-Curly’s-home”, “Davelyshome”.

“Not a bad place, Davelyshome!” Jones declared to Chris once with a proprietorial air.

Within Davelyshome were: (of course) Jones’s bed, which was also his personal aircraft or spacecraft; his record player (classical music only, no jazz or pop); his typewriter, on which his speed was matched only by his inaccuracy; his dossiers on the activities of friends, enemies, acquaintances and school teachers; and his rexine[1]-covered pocket chess set, the pieces of which he would hold in his long, white fingers and suck wetly when considering his next move. There were his teddy bears Curly and Brumas Bear-Jones, probably concealed from Chris but revealed to me. Also similarly concealed and revealed were documents relating to the “Animals House Air Force” and “The Game” that Jones and I played, and material relating to Colonel C. Bear Jones, that is, the above-mentioned Curly. There was Albert, his tan-coloured, vinyl, framed document case with the lethal-looking brass corners, which he would use as a weapon when roused. And there was his supply of “Lego” building bricks, from which he constructed model buildings and aeroplanes, or with which he played, particularly when about to deliver some ponderous saying.

[1] Rexine: a kind of imitation leather used for book covers, upholstery, etc.

Reading this blog on Davelyshome reminded me of an occasion once when I got into some hot water with Jones. While he was still at 53a, he used to walk to Thornton station of a morning in order to catch the S3 bus which would take him to Fleetwood Grammar School. Around the same time, there would also be a group of lads who were waiting there for the S2 which would take them to Baines' Grammar School. I would have boarded the S2at Lime Grove and I used to sometimes see Jones waiting at the station. Some of the more unruly members of the Baines' contingent had already noticed that Jones was somewhat "different to other boys of his age" and had started baiting him and having fun at his expense. I can't remember exactly how it came about, but I somehow got talking to one or two of the Baines' contingent on the bus and let it be known to them that I knew Jones. This aroused their interest, of course, and it was then that I revealed to them that he had a teddy-bear which he called Colonel C. Bear Jones! It's not very hard to imagine what happened next, but when Jones arrived at the station after that, he would be greeted with shouts of "Hi, Colonel C. Bear!" and "Morning, Colonel C. Bear!" Jones, of course, was livid and realised immediately who the source of their information was most likely to have been. He, therefore, confronted me with it at the next available opportunity. I decided to confess and mumbled something about it having "just slipped out while I wasn't really thinking". He wasn't impressed, but he forbade me to ever utter the words "Colonel C. Bear Jones" in his presence again. I agreed to this initially, but there were occasions subsequently when, out of devilment, I tried to tease him with the forbidden words. Jones would have none of it and, after only a couple of syllables, he would start to growl menacingly until I stopped!